Bucket List
by mysecretthoughts
Summary: After almost dying in the Chamber Harry realizes that he would have a lot of regrets if he had died. Sets out to make his life more memorable. Makes of list of things he wants to do. Makes a lot of new friends along the way. no mary sues.
1. Chapter 1

Couple of notes:

This is set in the current time period. Summer of 2012 actually. I had quite enough with researching London and various other places without having to deal with putting it all in a different time period. Honestly how did anyone live without cell phones? I can't fathom it and I don't really want figure it out. Won't make that much difference in the grand scheme of things but I don't want reviews telling me Harry couldn't have a cell phone or have gone to see that movie. Just pretend that the books actually took place years later than they really did. Everything else is the same!

This will be about thirty chapters, the first ten are done, the second ten pretty close and the last set outlined. There will be a sequel which starts with Harry entering his third year. This story is all about the summer after his second year.

I used this story to work on imagery. So there will be a lot of description from Harry's point of view about places he visits.

I don't like Dumbledore. That being said I don't specifically bash him in this story but I do throw suspicion on him. There will be bashing in the sequel when Harry deals with what he learned over the summer.

Happy reading and thank you for taking the time to check out the new story!

* * *

For the third night in a row, ever since he'd rescued Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter was wondering the halls of the ancient castle where he attended school. It didn't matter where he walked his feet always seemed to lead him to the second floor girls bathroom, the very room that contained the opening of the Chamber of Secrets.

The Chamber, and what had happened while he was down there, were the very reasons he'd spent the last several nights avoiding his bed. Every time he closed his eyes…..He shook those thoughts out of his head, not wanting to relieve the incident once again.

Almost against his will he pushed open the door and made his way to the third sink, his attention so focused he missed seeing the bathroom's resident ghost.

"Hello Harry." Myrtle swooped down from the ceiling to bat her eyelashes at the student who'd visited her so often that year. "Have you come to say goodbye to me? Or are you here to go down that dirty old slide again?"

"I almost died down there." He answered, his voice wooden. His gaze never left the small outline of a snake adorning the faucet. "Thought I was dead for a second."

"You could have stayed with me if you died." The ghost offered eagerly as she drifted closer.

His eyes jumped to her before he hurriedly jerked them away. "Err thanks Myrtle. But I think if I were dead I'd rather find my parents, you know, have a chance to meet them."

She nodded. "It that why you're so sad? Because you don't get to be with them now that you didn't die?"

He thought about it as he found a dry patch of the floor to settle on. "No, I mean it would be brilliant to see them but I guess they would be pretty mad if I died at the age of twelve." He looked up to see her frowning at him. He inwardly winced, wondering if she was going to have one her crying spells.

"I don't understand." She said finally. "I've never seen you like this and I've watched you a lot this year."

"Err…" His mind blanked as he stared at her in horror. "You what?"

"Ohh I watched when you….." She blinked when the dark haired boy threw up his hands.

"Nope, never mind, I don't want to know." He announced, vaguely queasy.

"But you didn't tell me why you're so sad." She reminded him.

He shrugged as he picked at a frayed hole in his jeans. "Well when I was dying, before Fawkes saved me," He was quick to add as her eyes lit up. "I had one of those moments where my life flashed in front of me and well there wasn't much to it." He sighed when she stared at him in confusion. "Don't you ever think back on your life and wish you could have done certain things before you died?"

He jumped as she squealed. "You mean like kissing Jackson Pulley until my eyes rolled back in my head? Or be the star reporter for the newspaper and have all the gentlemen swoon when I interviewed them?"

"Err yeah. Umm you wanted to be a reporter?" He asked curiously, his attention diverted.

"Umhm, that way I would be able to meet all the famous people and hear all the juiciest news." She announced swooping around the room with a high pitched giggle.

"Of course." He muttered under his breath. "Don't you regret not being able to do that?"

She shrugged as she came to hover in front of him once again. "I came back as a ghost. Mostly to haunt Olive Hornby but Hogwarts always has something interesting going on, and a lot of cute guys." She waggled her eyebrows making him feel distinctly uncomfortable. "And I still get to hear a lot of juicy news."

"But you're sad all the time. Isn't that why you're always crying?" He rushed on as tears welled up in her eyes. "This is the second time I've come close, really close, to dying since I've come to the magical world. Next year it might actually happen."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Myrtle asked sniffing wetly.

"There's so much I want to see and do." Harry pulled his knees against his chest. "I've never been anywhere besides my relatives' house and Hogwarts." He shivered as she drifted down and put an arm around him.

"You want to see other places." She surmised.

"Well yeah. I don't want to die next year without having lived." He bit his lip as he struggled to explain. "My aunt and uncle watched this movie one time…"

"Movie?" She asked interrupting him.

"A play." He answered not wanting to get into a long discussion on muggle tech. "Anyway I was cleaning the kitchen and got to hear a bit of it. It was about these two old men who were scared of getting old so they made a list of things they wanted to do before they died. A bucket list."

"That makes a lot of sense." She floated around with a thoughtful look on her face. "I'd have to think about what to put on my list."

Harry opened his mouth to point out that it was a moot point for her before thinking better about it. "I know what'd be on my list." He offered instead.

She swooped down until she was directly in front of him. "Ohhh do tell."

He smiled shyly at her. "I want to see the ocean. Visit my parents graves. Go to an amusement park and ride the fastest coaster there. Eat pizza."

Myrtle tilted her head as she studied him. "Those don't sound like very hard things to do. You'll do them this summer then you won't have any regrets when you die next year and come to stay with me." She finished happily.

Harry snorted. "My relatives wouldn't take me anywhere if I paid them."

"So pay someone else." She pointed out simply.

He stared at her in disbelief. "Even if I found someone trustworthy enough to act as my guardian for the summer I couldn't afford it. My relatives don't give me money and my vault barely has enough to get me through seventh year."

"Are you sure?" She asked with a knowing smile. "The girls toilets are always full of gossip about how filthy rich you are."

"Well I'm not." He retorted, blushing a bright red. "All I have is my trust vault. Wouldn't the goblins have told me if I had another one?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Have you actually ever talked to one?"

"Well no." He murmured, thinking of Hagrid and Mrs. Weasley hustling him in and out. He yawned widely. "I guess I better get to bed. Thanks Myrtle, for everything."

"You'll come back and visit me next year won't you?" She asked anxiously, wringing her hands.

"Of course." He assured her, surprised to find that he actually meant it. "We're friends aren't we?"

She sniffed. "Have fun this summer Harry. And if you die next year I'll keep a toilet open for you." She gave a sudden loud wail and zoomed down into the nearest toilet, sending a large splash of water over the boy.

"Lovely." He muttered. wringing out his invisibility cloak before throwing it over his shoulders. Luckily he didn't encounter anyone on his way back to Gryffindor tower, He wouldn't have been able to hide the squeaking of his wet shoes.

"Harry, Harry get up." Ron called, shaking his sleeping friend. "Blimey mate wake up. You've slept through breakfast. They're about to start taking us down to the train."

"What?" Harry yelped, shooting up in the bed. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?" he demanded.

"I wanted to." The red head defended himself, jumping back as his friend scrambled to his trunk. "Hermione wouldn't let me. You know how she gets."

"I heard that Ronald Weasley." A shrill voice called through the door. "Harry are you decent yet?"

"Yeah." He called back as he coerced his owl into her cage.

"It's just that you haven't been sleeping lately." Hermione said as she walked in. "Here." She handed him a couple pieces of toast. "Ron grab his trunk. They've already called for us."

"Bossy." Ron mouthed to his friend causing Harry to choke on the piece of bread. Grabbing Hedwig's cage he followed his two friends down the staircases to the great hall.

"Where have the three of you been?" McGonagall barked as she swept over to them. "Never mind. Off you go before they leave without you." Casing the levitation spell on the trunk Ron carried, along with the two Ron had carried down earlier she shooed them out the front door and into a carriage. "Next year you'll work on your punctuality." She said shutting the door with a snap. Harry and Ron shared a grin as Hermione let out a huff.

Harry settled back in his seat as Ron began teasing the bushy haired girl. His thoughts revolved around the plan that had formed in his dreams. It was risky. What if the Dursleys kicked him out for good? That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, he reminded himself as he grinned inwardly. But if Myrtle was wrong and he really didn't have another vault then he'd essentially be homeless.

But he had to know. What if he did have more money? Could he pay someone to live with him for the summer? He'd be free of the Dursleys and get to do all the things he'd ever wanted to do.

The image was so enticing that he made up his mind to use his trust vault if he had too, if he really didn't have any other vaults. After all there was a good chance he'd die next year and wouldn't need the money. And if by chance he'd managed to survive once again he'd get used books and second hand robes for the next four years.

Hermione had been shooting him concerned looks but she waited until they were settled on the train before confronting him. "Harry are you okay? You've been awful quiet."

"I'm fine." He assured her, dredging up a smile. He cocked his head as he considered her. "Hermione you almost died."

"Thanks Harry." She shuddered. "It's not something I like to think about."

"Besides she didn't die. She was just petrified." Ron cut in.

Harry shrugged. "An inch more and it might have been worse. But still she lost a couple months of her life."

"Harry stop." She demanded wrapping her arms around herself. Ron patted her awkwardly on the back as he frowned at his friend.

"What are you getting at mate?"

"I was just wondering if she'd have had any regrets. Anything she would have wished she could have done." He whispered, turning to look out the window.

"Harry." Hermione reached out to grab his hand. "What exactly happened in that chamber?"

He gave her a weak smile. "I fought a giant snake." He shrugged and pulled his hand away. "It wasn't easy."

"The Louvre." She answered after a beat of silence. "In Paris. I have to go before I die."

Harry turned to smile at her.

"Exploding snap." Ron asked desperately. "I mean," he fumbled when they both turned to stare at him. "Nobody died so lets stop talking about it yeah?"

"Yeah." Harry agreed, pulling out a deck of the exploding cards. "Lets have some fun."

Hermione agreed to one game before she pulled out a book, snuggling up into a corner as the boys games got rougher and rowdier.

"Say Ron." Harry started hours later as they gathered their stuff and prepared to leave. "Do you think if I need to your parents would let me stay this summer?"

"Of course, mum would love it." Ron answered automatically. "Why though? The Dursley's aren't going to lock you up again like last summer are they?" He asked looking alarmed.

"No, at least I don't think so." Harry answered truthfully. "But you know, just in case."

"Well just in case here's my address." Hermione said handing him a slip of paper she'd scribbled on quickly. "We're going to be going on holiday but if you need me before then I know my parent's wouldn't mind."

"Thanks guys." Harry said smiling widely. "This really takes a load off my mind." He waved them off as their families called to them, pushing through the barrier with a look of determination.

"Get in the car boy." His uncle yelled as soon as he spotted him. "I've got no time to waste for you to lollygag about."

Harry took a deep breath. "Actually Uncle Vernon I'm not coming with you."

The large man turned to him, his beady eyes narrowing in anger. "What's this nonsense?"

"I've made other arrangements." Harry answered praying to merlin that it was true.

"Other arrangements." His uncle grunted. "And you couldn't inform me before I wasted all this time coming to get you?"

Harry winced. "It was a last minute thing. And you know how you hate to get mail from my kind." He added.

"And will these other arrangements keep you away all summer?" Vernon asked hopefully.

"Definitely." Harry answered firmly, thinking he'd rather sleep on the streets than go back to the Dursley house.

"Good." Another grunt. "And next year you can find your own way to the house. I won't be coming to pick you up."

"I'll try to make other arrangements next year too." Harry added hopefully.

"Hmpf. Good riddance then." Harry grinned in triumph as the large man swung around and stormed off.


	2. Gringotts

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Sunday June 29th

"Nice going Potter." Harry muttered to himself ten minutes later as he plopped down on his trunk. "You're off to a great start."

"Harry! What are you still doing here?" Hermione asked coming up behind him. "Where are your relatives?"

He whirled around, trying not to look guilty. "Oh um I have business at Gringotts so they're going to pick me up from the Leaky Cauldron later, only I didn't figure out how I was going to get from here to there." He admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as she eyed him suspiciously.

"Harry." She chided before smiling. "You're lucky I saw you. Come on, we'll drop you off."

"No, it's okay. I don't want to put you to any trouble." He hurried to say. "If you'll just tell me which train will take me to the Leaky I can get there on my own."

"With your trunk and Hedwig?" She pointed out, causing her friend to blush. "It's really no trouble. We drive right by there. Besides if we're stopping I might be able to get my mum to agree to go to Flourish and Blotts for some books."

The woman standing behind Hermione let out a laugh. "As if we could have driven by without stopping. It's nice to meet you again Harry."

"Hello Dr. Granger and Dr. Granger." he said nodding to Hermione's father."

"Well now," the man said, clapping his hands together. "If we're spending the next several hours at that bookstore we'd better get on the road."

"It won't be several hours." Hermione protested grinning at her friend as she grabbed hedwig's cage. "Only two at the most.

Harry climbed into the car, chuckling as the Granger family continued their playful bickering. They were at the entrance to the magical world less than ten minutes later, Harry doing his best to keep his identity a secret from anyone in the taproom.

"Harry." Hermione turned to him with a serious look once they'd reached the bookstore. "We really won't be in here all that long. So if for some reason your relatives don't come for you promise me you'll call a cab and come to my house. My parents can pay the fare when you get there."

"Thanks Hermione." He said surprising her with a hug. "I'll send Hedwig to you if I get home alright." Taking his owl's cage in one and his trunk in the other he headed for the large white building at the end of the alley.

He gulped nervously at the looks the goblin guards were giving his luggage. He really should have asked if he could have kept it at the Leaky Cauldron.

"That will be far enough." A goblin barked hurrying forward. "Leave the bird there."

"Umm okay." Harry gulped, setting his trunk against the wall and placing Hedwig's cage on top. "They'll be okay here until I'm done?"

The goblin gave him a scornful look. "Goblins do not tolerate stealing."

"No I didn't mean….." He trailed off as the creature hurried away. "This is going brilliantly." He muttered giving Hedwig an apologetic look. "I'll try to hurry." He promised before approaching a teller.

"Key please." the goblin barked out without looking up.

Harry hesitated before silently handing over his key.

The teller examined it before motioning another goblin forward. "Griphook will take you to your vault."

'Umm I don't really want to go to my vault, at least not yet." He swallowed nervously when both goblins turned to stare at him accusingly.

"Then what do you want?" the teller demanded.

"Umm I need to find out how much money I actually have and umm find a place to live for the summer maybe." He stammered, squirming under the scrutiny.

The teller gave him a considering look before saying something to Griphook in goblin speech. "Follow me." Griphook commanded, leading the boy down a winding hallway and into a small office. Again there was an exchange of goblin speech ending with the new goblin turning to stare at Harry in surprise.

"Welcome Mr. Potter." He said bowing low as Griphook left. "I am your account manager Stoneclaw. What can I help you with?"

Harry slid into the indicated seat. "Well you see I almost died a week ago, really almost died and I want to have fun this summer just in case I do die soon, only I don't know if I have enough money." He looked up to find the goblin looking startled.

"Excuse me a moment." Stoneclaw murmured scribbling a quick note and handing it to someone outside the door. "Now then while we wait for Lewis to join us we can talk about your vaults."

Harry was about to ask who Lewis was when the last part of the sentence caught his attention. "Wait vaults? As in more than one?"

"Indeed Mr. Potter." Stoneclaw stretched his mouth in the semblance of a grin. "Five in total. You are in fact the richest wizard in greater Europe."

"Five vaults." Harry mouthed in shock. "There must be a mistake."

"Goblins don't make mistakes." Stoneclaw assured him. "The first two are your family vaults. One for family possessions, jewels antiquities, sentimental belongings. And the second for monies. The potters have always been extremely wealthy. However these vaults are not assessable until your majority or should you be declared an adult before then. The next two are your trust vaults."

"Vaults?" Harry exclaimed a second time. "I've only ever been to one."

"You are taken to the vault of the key you present." The Goblin explained.

Harry rubbed his head as questions swirled. "Why are there two and where's the key for the second one?"

"The second trust was started for you by your godfather Sirius Black. I do not know what became of the key but it would be a simple matter of making a new one."

"My godfather?" Harry asked, eyes wide and slightly glassy. He filed the name away when the goblin didn't elaborate. "You said five vaults. What's the fifth?"

"Ah so interesting." The goblin rubbed his hands together eagerly. "After the events of your parents passing people, especially those that had lost family in the war, began bequeathing you everything they had. And then there were the donations and gifts. We at Gringotts created a separate vault just for that money. The vault has since surpassed the amount in your family vault.

Harry leaned back dazed. "People I don't know left me money?"

"Yes." Stoneclaw confirmed. "You can live like a king for the rest of your life and never run out of money."

"I don't want to live like a king." Harry protested. "And my life will probably end next year. I just want to have fun this summer."

"I'm sure we can make that happen." A new voice spoke from the doorway. Harry turned to see an older man enter the office. "Hello Mr. Potter. I am Bernard Lewis, the Potter family solicitor."

"Hello, its Harry, just Harry. Why does my family have a solicitor and why are you here?" He asked curiously.

Mr. Lewis smiled as he settled into the second visitor chair. "When a family is a rich as yours its good to have someone to protect it. My family has worked for yours for generations. I am here because Stoneclaw sent for me. He had some concerns."

Harry stiffened and sent a suspicious look towards the goblin only to find he'd left. "Don't worry Harry. You're not in trouble." Mr. Lewis smiled. "I just have some questions. You didn't know anything about your inheritance before today?"

Harry shook his head. "I thought all I had was my trust vault."

"You live with your mother's sister? What did she tell you about your parent's finances?'

Harry snorted. "She refused to talk about my parents or told me lies. I didn't know anything about the magical world until Hagrid told me about it on my 11th birthday."

Lewis' eyebrows rose. "Hagrid? The Hogwarts gamekeeper? Where did you get the key for the vault you used the first time you visited?"

"Hagrid had it." Harry answered warily.

Lewis frowned and made another noted on the scroll he was using. "And to clarify you've never received any correspondence from Gringotts?"

"No." Harry answered throughly confused. "What's all this about? I just came in to see how much money I had and see if the goblins knew where I could stay for the summer."

Lewis smiled gently. "I'll be sure to help you with that. But you should have already known. The bank has sent several letters over the years to you in regard to the gift vault. I had assumed your guardians had put them aside until you were older, not I'm not so sure."

Harry snorted. "The Dursleys would have had kittens if they found out I had that much money."

"The other option is that someone is deliberately keeping you from finding out about your vaults. I for one would like to know who, wouldn't you?"

Harry chewed on his lip. "Say someone is keeping all this away from me. They don't know I know yet. What if they find out and do something to take it away from me. This summer is really important to me and I don't want to go back to the Dursleys."

"It's my job to protect you from that." Lewis told him. "Part of that is making sure you get what you want." He held his tongue at the boy's sigh of relief. Now was not the right time to go into anything else he wanted to discuss. The boy looked like he wasn't processing anything at the moment. "I would like to meet with you later this week to go over some other matters if that works for you."

"Um yeah sure, I guess. Um I do need to find someplace to stay this summer." He squirmed in his chair. "Umm I was hoping Stoneclaw would know of any properties I might be able to rent, or I guess I can afford to buy someplace huh."

"I believe you have several you already own." Lewis informed him, smiling at the way the child's eyes bulged. "However if you truly want to stay under the radar this summer I wouldn't recommend using them. If anyone were looking for you they would probably check any properties in your name." He explained.

Harry sighed. "So that's it? Its either go back to the Dursleys or stay on the streets?"

Lewis worked to hide his amusement. "Hardly. " He grinned as the boy perked up. "I think a suite in a hotel would be best. You'll only need it for the summer and you'll have access to room service, laundry service and people around to help you if you need it."

"That sounds great! But I'm twelve. Will they really let me stay there alone?" He asked, chewing his lip in nervous anticipation.

"We can work around that." The solicitor assured him. "Hotels generally don't care who's actually staying in the room as long as the bills paid. And to keep your secret we can book the room under one of the companies you own. " He didn't mention that he planned to put people in the hotel that would keep an eye on the kid. "Would you want to stay in London?"

"Wicked." Harry breathed, eyes wide. "Yeah London's fine as long as you'll be able to arrange it if I want to travel somewhere? I've never really been anywhere besides home and school."

"Of course." The older man stated. He smiled at the large yawn. "We'll discuss this more on later this week. I'm going to step out and arrange for your housing. But I believe Stoneclaw has a few things to go over with you."

Harry turned to find the goblin back behind his desk.

"Hello again Mister Potter. Your key to your Black trust vault and the key to the gift vault. Do not misplace them." The goblin instructed firmly.

"Thanks." Harry shoved them in his pocket. "Umm is there a way to get money without coming to the bank all the time? I don't want to carry a lot of cash with me and I'll be spending a lot of time in the muggle world."

Stoneclaw nodded. "I've had a bank card made for you. It works at any store muggle or magical. You can use it in the muggle money machines to get muggle money but if you want actual galleons you'll have to come to the bank. Withdrawals will be made from your fifth vault unless otherwise stated."

"Brilliant thanks." Harry exclaimed clutching the card.

"And this," the goblin handed over a large file folder. "Is an accounting of your vaults along with the companies and properties you own."

"Umm I don't have to run them or anything do I?" He asked looking overwhelmed.

"No , at this time I coordinate with the CEO's that manage the companies for a fee. You can take over at any time you feel ready or leave them to me." He was told.

"Come Harry." Lewis said as he came to the door. "Lets leave Stoneclaw to his work."

Harry nodded, bowing to the goblin. "Thank you for your help."

"Of course Mr. Potter. It"s what I do."

Harry smiled as he followed his solicitor to a posh waiting room. "I just need to gather a few more things if you wouldn't mind waiting. Then I assure you I'll get you to your hotel so you can rest."

"Umm I'll need a way to get there." Harry ventured. "I'm not good at getting around the city and I have my trunk and owl."

Lewis nodded as he made a note. "I'll arrange for a car service. I think a driver, someone to escort you where you need to go, one who can act as a bodyguard, especially for those times when you go into the magical world would be a good idea. They will be available to you twenty four hours for the duration of the summer. I only ask that you use them and not the underground where you could get lost or someone could grab you."

"That would be brilliant thanks." He said sinking into a chair. He smiled gratefully as a non-goblin employee served him tea and biscuits.

"Never thought I'd see you in here Potter." a voice from the other side of the room startled him. He turned to see a slytherin in his year watching him curiously. "Given the way you dress I wouldn't have thought you had money."

"Well I was in hiding you know, before Hogwarts. I couldn't stand out too much. But now…. " He shrugged trying to appear confident. "I figure its time to open up about my inheritance Zabini."

Blaise smirked. "Big plans this summer then?" He asked.

"I plan to enjoy my holidays yes. You?" Harry answered cooly.

"Going back to Italy." The dark skinned boy answered causally. "We're leaving as soon as mother finalizes her business."

Harry perked up at the thought of a new country. "Do you like it there?"

The other boy nodded. "I enjoy it. A different world from here. England is dull white, Italy is vibrant colors. And of course the food is a lot better." He answered.

"I've never been out of the country unless you count Hogwarts. It sounds like a good place to visit." Harry mused, a slight longing in his tone.

"If you do make sure you get some new clothes." Blaise advised with a grin. "Italians are fashionistas. You'd be laughed out of the country in that outfit." He paused. "But if you do come send me a note. I'll show you around." He offered.

"Really?" Harry asked shocked. "But I'm a Gryffindor."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "We're not in school are we? And I'm not Malfoy." He added with a sneer.

Harry couldn't help smiling. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Harry." Lewis called from the doorway. "We're all set."

Harry stood. "Thanks Zabini. I'll see you around." He called before following the older man to an empty office.

"Now then I have several items for you. The first is your room key. Room 501 at the Four Seasons. It's the Presidential suite so you'll have room to spread out. You're already checked in so you can go straight up."

"Now then I've engaged Stanley Rivers as your driver. He's muggleborn so he'll fit right in around London but he'll be able to use magic to protect you. He's waiting in the lobby. I'll take you to him when we're done here."

"Umm okay." Harry answered warily.

"Don't worry Harry. He's not there to spy on you. And if for some reason you don't get along we can easily change him out. Now then," he handed over a slim cellphone. "This is the best way to contact him when you need him."

"A cell phone." Harry asked shocked. "But won't….."

"It'll work." The solicitor assured him with a chuckle. "They aren't popular among wizards just yet but they are dead useful. The battery runs out a little faster because of our magic but that's why we've installed this small solar panel. Just set it on a table in the sun and you'll be good as new. It won't work in Hogwarts and its patchy in the ministry and Gringotts but if you need me leave a message and I'll get back to you. My number and River's number are already programmed in. Give him a call when you want to go somewhere even if its in the middle of the night. Got everything you need for the night?"

Harry nodded dumbly, his mind too full to even comprehend anything the man was saying.

"Now then lets get you to to your new home."


	3. Hotel

Standard disclaimers apply

* * *

Monday June 30th

Harry woke up feeling more rested than he had in his entire life. Not even Hogwart's beds could compare to the softness of the humongous bed he was currently spread out on. He gave a sleepy chuckle as he went spread eagle, his hands and feet a foot from either side of the bed.

He didn't want to get up, he was so comfortable. And really was there any reason for him to? He wasn't at school with classes or quidditch. And he wasn't at the Dursleys where he would have been woken hours earlier and made to cook breakfast. He rolled over, pulling the heavy duvet closer and allowed himself to fall back asleep.

It was several hours before he stirred again. He stretched, a contented smile on his face. He could definitely get used to this.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes Harry shuffled into the adjoining bathroom, blinking in shock at the opulence laid out before him. Dark grey tile spanned the long room, warm against his feet. One wall was adorned with dark cabinets topped by grey marble and bisected by two separate sinks. Shelving built into the cabinets were filled with fluffy white towels. A large deep tub took up half of the opposite wall while a grey tiled shower with glass walls took up the other half. A door at the end revealed a separate toilet stall.

Moving closer to the sinks he peered at the assortment of bottles and packages. Milk bath soap, body lotion, face soap and cotton swabs were all lined neatly on a silver tray. He took a quick sniff of the soap, not offended by the fresh green scent.

"Wicked." He breathed spotting a pair of thick slippers on a bottom shelf. A matching bathrobe hung on the door to the water closet.

Harry moved towards the tub before hesitating. He was sure being able to relax in hot water for the first time in his life would be incredible. But he also knew he'd have a hard time getting out and his stomach had already started to demand that he eat soon.

Turning toward the shower he promised himself that he'd try out the tub later that night before bed. After all he didn't have anyone yelling at hime about wasting water or dorm mates teasing him about being too clean.

Harry turned on the shower, watching in amazement as water shot from the normal shower head but also from a large disk hanging from the ceiling. "Brilliant." He murmured, shucking off the teeshirt and boxers he'd worn to bed. Opening the glass door he stepped into the steamy warmth. 'It's like being in a warm rain shower.' He realized, tilting his head back and letting the water run over him.

His stomach rumbled again, reminding him to hurry. He quickly washed off, using the bottles of shampoo and body wash he'd found on a tile shelf in the shower. He was pleased he didn't have to use the harsh economy sized soap with the industrial smell his aunt had thrust on him at the beginning of the school year.

He dried off with a thick towel that could almost wrap around him twice before heading back into a bedroom he figured was the size of his entire gryffindor dorm room. A large king bed decorated in different shades of beige was flanked by tables of dark wood. Directly across from the bed was a large chest of drawers in the same wood with a long flat panel TV.

"Ha" He crowed. "Not even Dudley has a TV in his room." Harry grinned as his gaze wondered to the large desk flanked by floor to ceiling windows.

His stomach growled again prompting him to dive into his trunk, dressing in the first muggle clothes he'd pulled out, a stained pair of chino's three sizes too big and a blue tee shirt with a hole in the arm pit.

"Wow." He breathed as the stepped through the pocket doors into the second room. "I must have been asleep last night to have missed all of this."

He was in a large sitting area with two long beige couches facing each other in front of a stone fireplace. A second TV rested above the stone mantle while more windows flanked the structure. Past the sitting area was a dining table for six. A second water closet and a mini bar completed the room.

Harry groaned as he caught sight of Hedwig perched on a lamp. "I didn't write to Hermione last night." He realized.

He turned back to the desk in the bedroom and grabbed a piece of stationery and pen provided by the hotel.

_Hermione, I'm really sorry I didn't write you last night. It was late when I got home and I was so tired I barely remember getting here. No reason to worry, everything's okay._

"Hey Hedwig, take this to Hermione as fast as you can." He instructed, giving the bird the letter and opening the window.

That done he turned his attention to finding some food. He decided he was too hungry to take the time to seek out one of the hotels restaurants and besides he was anxious to check out room service. It was another thing the Dursleys had always rubbed in his face. Of course Uncle Vernon was always complaining about it, but Harry really knew that was his way of bragging that he was able to afford the service.

Looking around he spotted the menu on a nearby side table. Reading the instructions he dialed eight on the house phone.

"Four Seasons room service, how can I hep you?" A pleasant voice asked.

"Umm can I get the fish and chips?" He requested realizing it was already noon.

"Of course sir. Would you like something to drink with that?"

"Umm yeah an orange soda?" He asked naming the fizzy drink Dudley was always taunting him with.

"Of course sir. We'll have it up within 20 minutes."

"Err thanks. I'm in 501." He added unnecessarily. "Umm will he take my credit card? I don't have any cash." Harry flushed as the voice on the other end laughed.

"The cost of the meal and the serving charge are added to your room. You can tip the server if you feel the need but its not required." She told him.

"Oh okay. Umm thanks." He murmured hanging up. He hadn't felt so stupid since he'd first entered the magical world. It was kind of the same though. He had been entering a new world them and he was basically entering a new one now. He continued to compare the two experiences as he settled on the couch and flipped on the TV.

A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts and he hurried to open it.

"Good afternoon sir." The uniformed server announced, blinking as he took in Harry's appearance. "You ordered a meal?"

"Great thanks. You can just put it on the table I guess." Harry said holding the door open uncertainly.

"Of course sir." He announced stepping in to set the tray down. "Will that be all?"

"Err yeah. I'm sorry but I haven't been to the cash machine yet." Harry fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "Umm if you give me your name I'll leave a tip for you at the front desk." he offered blushing at the man's scrutiny.

The server smiled gently at the self conscious boy. "That won't be necessary sir. Enjoy our meal."

"Umm thanks." Harry mumbled as he shut the door. He was mentally berating himself for not picking up some cash when he was at Gringotts yesterday. The last thing he wanted was to become a skinflint like his uncle.

He was halfway through his meal when there was another knock on the door.

"Housekeeping." A female voice called out followed by a lady entering the room. "Good afternoon sir." She said spotting him a the table. "Is it okay for me to clean your rooms or would you like me to come back later?"

"Umm no its okay." He mumbled.

"Very good sir. I came in earlier and noticed you sleeping. If you don't want to be disturbed just hang this sign on the door and then take it off when you're ready for me to come." She said holding up the do not disturb sign.

"Oh wow, thanks. I'll be sure to do that." He flushed in embarrassment as she came out of the bedroom carrying his wet towels. "Sorry I was going to pick those up when I was done."

She smiled gently at him. "Nonsense. Dirty towels go on the floor so I know to replace them. First time in a hotel lad?"

'Yeah," He admitted rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not used to people clearing up after me."

"Aye but you wouldn't want to be putting me out of a job now would you?" She teased heading back to the bathroom. She was back a minute later holding one of the bags he'd noticed in the wardrobe. "Now then we have twenty four hour laundry service. Just put your dirties in one of these bags and I'll know to take it down. Of if you need it right away just dial the service number."

"Thanks, um, I'm sorry I didn't get your name."

She blinked at him in shock. "Not many of the fine folk want to know my name. I'm Maggie."

"Hello Maggie, I'm Harry."

"You're precious is what you are." She answered back. "Now you finish your meal and let me get back to work."

"Umm Maggie?" He called out ten minutes later from the doorway of the bedroom. "What do I do with my dishes?"

She looked up from where she was making the bed. "You just leave them be. I'll take care of them."

"Brilliant thanks." He called back, checking his pockets to make sure he had his gringotts card and his room key. "I'm going to explore the hotel some."

"Make sure you head to the tenth floor. I think you'll enjoy the sights."

Harry wondered out of his room as he thought about the staff he'd met that morning. They were nice and helpful, certainly more helpful than anyone he'd met in the magical world. And he certainly wouldn't get lonely, not with all the people that worked here and then there were the other guests. Staying in the hotel had definitely been the way to go.

He looked up to find that he had arrived at the elevator, and deciding to take Maggie's advice hit the button for the top floor.

The first thing he noticed as he exited the elevator was the smokey glass walls of the spa. Curious he peeked in, inhaling the relaxing scent that seemed to fill the air. The lights were turned down low and soft music seemed to invite him in to take a nap.

He opened the door wider, intent on trying out the plush loungers before he noticed the receptionist giving him an evil eye.

'Sorry,' he mouthed, pulling back and shutting the door quietly. 'Guess not everyone is friendly.' He thought regretting the loss of the peace that room had given him.

He continued past the fitness center, noting the numerous machines and activities through the windows.

The rest of the floor seemed to be taken up by a large lounge. Entering he spotted the floor to ceiling windows that opened out onto a terrance. Transfixed Harry wound his way through seating areas and high top tables towards the open space.

"Can I help you?: A snotty wait staff asked.

"No." Harry answered absently. "I'm just looking around."

"If you aren't a guest of this hotel you'll have to leave." She demanded with a sneer.

He frowned at her and fished out his room key. She gaped at the name of the suite imbedded on it.

"Of course sir. Let me know if you need anything." She stammered before rushing away.

Harry shrugged and continued his journey to the edge of the terrance, giving a gasp at what he say. All of London was laid out before him. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye on the edge of the Thames, and there was the Houses of Parliament exactly as they'd been pictured in his history books in primary.

He gave a sigh of contentment and mentally checked off a box on his imaginary list. He'd lived in England all his life and he was finally getting to see important parts of his county's history. It almost felt like he'd been locked up his entire life and he was finally free.

"Not far off." He murmured, soaking up the view one last time before turning and catching sight of the suspicious and pitying stares from the other guests. He glared back before stalking toward the elevator, trying his best not to let the looks ruin his good mood.

"This isn't Little Whinging." He assured himself. "These people haven't heard the gossip Aunt Petunia has spread around."

Getting off on the ground floor Harry spotted a money machine set discretely to the side. He immediately headed towards it, not wanting to be in another situation like this morning.

He was able to easily follow the correct steps, thankful for all the times he'd had to wait while Aunt Petunia had used her bank card.

He didn't notice the man giving him a suspicious look until he was directly behind him. "I'm with hotel security." The man spoke in a deep voice. "Whose card are you using son?"

Harry jumped, almost dropping the pound notes he'd pulled from the machine. "It's mine." He answered.

The security officer raised an eyebrow. "You didn't steal it from anyone?"

Harry glared back. "No." He answered hotly.

"Sure kid. Are your parents nearby?" He asked, his expression doubtful.

"Umm no." Harry answered. "My dad and I are here on business. Um well my dad is. He spends all day in meetings. I just needed some money for room service." He explained, remembering what Mr. Harrison had said about renting the room. He quickly pulled out his room key.

"And why," the guard asked as he examined the card. "If you have the means to stay in one of our most prestigious suites, are you dressed like a street beggar?"

Harry shrugged, his mind racing. "It drives my father crazy." he offered weakly.

"I can understand why." The man answered. "I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Harry nodded, annoyed and relieved as he hurried out of the hotel and toward the park across the street. Once he was a good distance in he copped a seat on a bench facing the water, idly watching the pedal boats go back and forth.

His mind flashed back to the night before, contemplating how smoothly everything went, from finding out he had money to having someone who was able to arrange everything.

He realized how naive he had been, how unrealistic his expectations were. Without Lewis he would have been a rich kid on the street without a clue of how to go forward. He shook his head. He had a lot to learn.

It really was extremely lucky Lewis had been there. Who was he really? If he and his firm really had worked for the Potter family for generations then why hadn't he been there to help Harry before now?

How did Harry know he could trust him? After all the only people who knew where Harry was right now were Lewis and the driver that worked for Mr. Lewis. Maybe it was a plot to kidnap him or something. Maybe they were trying to steal his money. He snorted at the absurd thought.

Though that led him to think about his vaults. What was he ever going to do with so much money? His family vaults he could sort of understand. He supposed those were the ones Myrtle had been talking about. He'd overhead Malfoy talking once about family responsibilities and how it was a sign of prestige to add to the family money, to be able to pass on a greater amount to the next generation. But that wasn't something he needed to worry about until he was 17 anyway.

There was his trust vault but he knew about that. What really blew his mind was the second trust vault. He didn't know anything about a godfather but the man must have loved him, or at least the thought of him, very much to have opened up a vault for him. He wondered what had happened to the man and why no one had mentioned him. He made a mental note to ask Lewis when he next saw him.

That left the fifth vault, the gift vault. The one that apparently had more money the other four vaults combined. The one that contained money donated because of his heroic act. It didn't seem fair really that he should have the money when he didn't do anything. It should be used for something good. He made another note to talk to Lewis about charities and good causes. He also needed to make a will. If he did die next year he didn't want the money just sitting there or going to someone who wouldn't use it right.

He shivered in the cooling air, and looking around noticed darkness falling. He really should head back to his room, and maybe try out that tub. He could use some relaxing. It had been a stressful day and he hadn't even done anything.

Walking down the path that would lead him back to his hotel he passed a sandwich cart. Deciding that he might want something later, and not wanting to call room service again he turned around and approached the vendor.

"I don't give freebies kid." The vendor sneered. "No use begging here. Move along."

Harry flushed. "I have money." He said glaring defiantly as he pulled out a five pound note.

"Stole it more likely." The vendor sneered. Harry noted he was quick to snatch the money from him. "Well what do you want?"

Harry named his sandwich, still frowning. He was becoming increasingly annoyed with the assumptions people were making about him. Catching the wrapped sub that the sneering salesman threw at him he quickly made his way back to the hotel.

He was treated to another suspicious look from the doorman. "Sorry kid. Guests only."

Harry nearly growled as he shoved his key card in the man's face.

"Apologies young sir." The man said sincerely as he opened the door. "If I might give a word of advice?"

Harry stopped and looked back at him. "I respect your…..style but if you venture out after dark looking like that you're likely to get picked up by the constables. They sweep through here quite frequently."

The green eyes widened. "Um thanks." He offered, his irritation leaving him.

He was deep in thought as he rode the elevator and entered his sitting room. Tt was apparent he couldn't have his summer of fun and live in a palace like this without making some upgrades in himself. He was so used to wearing Dudley's cast offs that he didn't even realize how he appeared to others. The scornful looks, the constant ejection from the hotel and now the threat of the constables really brought the point home. It was time for him to go shopping.

He groaned and flopped face down on the couch. How did one go about getting a whole new wardrobe?


	4. Shopping

Thank you everyone for the reviews and alerts. I don't own anything related to Harry Potter. Happy Reading.

* * *

Tues July 1st.

Harry woke up and stretched before remembering what he had to do that day. Unless you counted going to Diagon Alley or following Aunt Petunia around the market he'd never been shopping in his life. And something told him that this shopping trip wasn't going to be as fun as shopping in the magical world.

The dark haired boy sighed, deciding the only thing to do was get up and get on with his day. He headed for the bathroom deciding he was going to have a shower even though he'd had a bath just the night before. He couldn't resist trying out the incredible shower head again.

He close his eyes in contentment as warm water cascaded over him. 'I'm never leaving.' He decided. 'Forget Hogwarts I'm living in this bathroom for the rest of my life.'

After nearly half an hour he pulled himself out now in a much better frame of mind. He pulled on one of the plush robes, brushed his teeth and headed to his trunk to get dressed. Remembering all the suspicious looks he'd received the day before he carefully picked through his Hogwarts clothes for an outfit that wasn't adorned with a crest. It wouldn't do to get kicked out before he could buy anything.

Pulling at the neck of the white dress shirt he hunted through his things until he found the slim mobile phone Mr Lewis had given him.

"Green is for go." He recited putting words to action. He grinned as the phone came to life.

"Now what?" Harry asked in bewilderment. The Dursleys hadn't had a mobile though Dudley had begged for one all last summer. He shrugged and began pressing buttons until finally a list of two names popped up. He tapped the one that read car service and hit the green button a second time.

"Good morning Mr Potter. What can I do for you?" A smooth voice asked over the line.

"Umm. I need to go shopping." Harry answered uncertainly.

"Very good sir. I shall be out front within ten minutes."

"Thanks." Harry returned, amazed and disconcerted. That had been incredibly easy.

He shrugged as he picked up his Gringotts card, room key, and the muggle cash he'd gotten the day before and shoved the lot in his pocket. He really needed to remember to pick up a wallet before he lost any of it.

He exited his room, stopping to say hello to his new friend Maggie before taking the elevator to the ground floor. His stomach growled at the scents coming from the hotel restaurant making him wish he'd grabbed a banana from the fruit basket in his room.

Once outside he was shocked to find the tall imposing man who'd driven him to the hotel the first night already waiting in front of the black town car. "Sorry." He mumbled. "I didn't mean to be late."

"Never be sorry Mr Potter. I work for you. You couldn't be late even if I sat out here all day long." The man instructed gently

Harry wrinkled his nose. "That would be rude. And it's Harry. Just Harry. Your Mr. Rivers right?" He asked climbing through the door that was held open for him.

"You remembered. But you can call me Stan." He smiled as he settled into the driver's seat. "Where to young sir."

"Umm I'm not sure." Harry admitted. "I need clothes but I don't know where to get them."

"Might I suggest Westfield center on Oxford street. The large variety of shops should provide you with all you need." Stan offered.

"Um yeah that sounds brilliant thanks." He blushed as his stomach rumbled.

"Breakfast first? I find it very trying to shop on an empty stomach." The older man advised him.

"Yeah." The almost teen agreed sheepishly. "That would be a good idea."

"Would you prefer to head back into the hotel? I will be fine waiting here for you."

"No." Harry answered quickly. "I'd really rather not. Couldn't we just pick something up along the way?"

"Of course sir." Stan answered sending a concerned look through the rear view mirror. He was silent until he pulled into a well known pastry shop. "Will this do?"

"Brilliant thanks." Harry exclaimed climbing out before Stan could come around to open the door. "Aren't you coming?"

"I will wait here for you. Please take your time and enjoy your meal. I've heard the muffins are incredible. "

Are you sure you don't want anything? Harry asked uncertainly.

"I'm fine Harry. Stan told him patiently as he shooed him towards the shop. "Go eat."

"Okay." He finally agreed as his stomach rumbled again. Entering the shop he was assaulted with a variety of incredible smells making his mouth water. He quickly approached the counter eyeing the long counters filled with the fragrant treats.

"Good morning." The server chirped. "What can I help you with?"

"Ummm a blueberry muffin and and an orange juice." He picked out his eyes roving over the displays. "And um do you think I can get a couple for later?"

"Of course sir. We have boxes of four, six or even a dozen." She answered.

"Umm just four please, one of each, and a box of ginger snap biscuits." He requesting, wanting to stock up on some snacks in his room so he wasn't calling room service all the time.

"Why don't you have a seat and eat your meal and I'll box the others up for you." The attendant offered as she handed back his card.

Ten minutes later he was sliding back in the car with his purchases. "That was the best thing I've ever eaten." He announced a grin on his face. Stan chuckled as he drove them through town.

Some of Harry's excitement slid away as they pulled in front of the bustling mall.

The uncomfortable look didn't go unnoticed by the driver as he held open the door. "Most of my clients prefer I accompany them while shopping so that I can carry their purchases." He offered.

"That would be good." Harry murmured. "Well not the part about you carrying everything but yeah you can come with." He said with ill concealed relief. Stan stifled a grin as he guided the preteen to the nearest department store.

"Good afternoon gentlemen." A preppy young man greeted them as they entered the boys section. "Can I help you find anything?"

"Umm everything?" Harry fumbled. "I need a whole new wardrobe." He admitted, his eyes tracing the pattern of the carpet. He missed the concerned look the salesman threw at Stan.

"Well these things happen." He said forcing a smile. "My names Charles. Now do we prefer the casual look with jeans or preppy?"

"Jeans definitely." Harry answered firmly. "But I need some dressy clothes too. An umm shorts. I want to go to the beach."

Charles nodded. "Now do we have a budget? Do we need to restrain ourselves to just what you need or whatever catches your fancy?"

Harry bit his lip before grinning. "No budget." He said finally backing up a little as the other man's eyes lit up.

"Then come right this way." He led them further into the department. "Well start at the bottom and work our way up. Jeans." Charles muttered pulling samples off the wall and leading them to a dressing room. "Three basic styles. Try on all three so we can see which ones you prefer. Then well worry about sizes and color. " He handed the first pair over and shooed the boy into the dressing room.

"These are girl pants." Harry yelled through the curtain a few minutes later.

"Unfortunately they're not." Charles corrected with a large grin. "Skinny jeans are all the rage right now. "

"I'd rather go starkers." Harry announced firmly as he accepted the next pair. "Better." He announced.

"Come on out and let me check the size." Charles instructed.

Harry shuffled out. "They're a bit long."

"Yes you could do with a smaller size." Charles murmured absently as he pulled at the waistband. They'll probably still be a touch long. We can get them tailored or you can roll them up." He demonstrated. "This look is considered in right now. And it'll keep you from buying all new when you shoot up this summer." He added.

Once Harry admitted he liked the rolled up look Charles handed him one last pair. He came out of the dressing room a few minutes later. "These are okay. They feel, I don't know dressier than the other."

Charles nodded. "Cleaner lines. You'll look sharp even with a tee shirt. Change back and we will l discuss colors."

Harry sent him a confused look. "They're jeans. How many colors can they come in?"

Charles laughed. "My grasshopper. You have a lot to learn." He teased causing Harry to send Stan a panicked look.

"Denim comes in a variety of washes." Charles instructed a few minutes later, leading the preteen to a table where he had different styles spread out.

Harry immediately rejected the distressed looks. "I'm tired of wearing ragged stuff. And that one looks weird." He said pointing to a light wash.

"No problem." Charlie easily. "Do you like colors?" He lifted a pair of red jeans.

Harry made a face. "Not red. Umm black and that grey looks nice but that's all."

"So well get these these and a couple pair of these." He said grabbing Harry's choices in his size. Harry blinked realizing there were seven pairs of pants on the take away table.

"Dress pants." The salesman announced grinning at the look on the kids face. "Simple. Black or grey and you're set for anything you might need. An a pair of these." He pulled out a pair of khaki chinos. "For the causal dressy."

Harry came out of the dressing room ten minutes later, having tried on all three pairs. "They're good." He announced. "And I really like these." He indicated the chinos

Charles eyes lit up. "Enough to get those in colors? I have a lovely green here."

"Definitely not." The boy announced wondering what the man wore when he wasn't in uniform.

The salesman shrugged good naturedly. "Now on to shorts." Half an hour later they'd added several pairs to the take home pile in black khaki, nylon, and plaid that made him think of Malfoy. He'd rejected the jean shorts almost immediately. They reminded him too much of Dudley. .

"Okay good. Are we doing okay so far? Do we need a break? Water, juice?" Charles asked looking over his client critically.

"I'm good." Harry answered. He looked over his shoulder to where his driver was sitting. "Stan?"

The older man looked up from his newspaper. "I'm good young sir."

Harry shrugged and looked back at Charles. "So what's next?"

They moved on to sleepwear then to undergarments where Harry was unable to decide between boxers or briefs. Which resulted in him getting a large selection of both.

"Tee shirts." Charles announced. He'd had an assistant pull what he'd thought the kid would like. Plain tees in black, white, red, light, blue dark, blue green, and orange joined the pile. Graphic tees in various colors with dragons, world sports teams, popular sayings, and bands were quickly sorted through. The process was repeated with with thin long sleeve tees. Plaid and striped button downs were chosen with Charles showing Harry how to layer the clothes for better looks. A small selection of zip up sweatshirts and hoodies followed.

Two dress shirts later had Harry throwing himself into a chair. "I'm done. Can't do anymore."

"We're almost done Harry. Charles assured him, handing the kid a soft drink which Harry took gratefully. "Just shoes and a couple accessories."

.

Harry perked up. Shoes were what he's been looking forward to getting the most. No more having to tie broken pieces of shoelace together just to get them long enough. No more having to stuff paper in the sides because Dudley's fat feet had stretched them out.

They found a pair of black dress shoes with no problem and a pair of grey canvas kicks

Harry thought were brilliant. He waffled over a pair of boots until Stan discreetly reminded him of dragon hide but he searched the whole department without finding a pair of trainers he liked.

"Tell you what." Charles confided in a stage whisper. "There's an athletic store at the other end of the center called Nike town. I bet you find three or four pairs you like there." Harry smile at him gratefully and allowed himself to be led to be led to the accessory aisle where he picked up a wallet and a couple belts.

"Anything else you can think of?" Charles asked as he rang up the totals.

"Nope. This is way more than I thought I would ever have." Harry answered, eyeing the large pile.

"Umm I know you said no limit." Charles paused. "But umm I think we may have gone overboard."

He shrugged. "I don't care. I needed all of it and this way I don't have to shop again for a while."

Charles gave him an awed look. "Well man let me tell you. Anytime you need anything you just come back. I'd be happy to help you. You pretty much paid my rent this month with the commission I'm going to make."

Harry laughed. "See we helped each other." Having paid he picked out one outfit and returned to the dressing room to change, coming out in grey and white plaid shorts that had tiny light blue square, a matching blue tee shirt and the grey kicks he's picked out. "How do I look?" He asked.

"Much more comfortable." Stan said as he gathered a handful of bags. Harry quickly stepped forward to grab the rest, and after saying goodbye to his new friend followed his driver out into the main mall.

"Do you want to shop some more or are you done for the day?" Stan asked.

"Umm I really wanted to look for some trainers and maybe check out that bookstore." He pointed the store across the way. "But if you have to leave I can go back to the hotel."

"I am at your disposal for as long as you need." Stan assured him. "I was merely inquiring so I would know what to do about the bags." He explained reaching for the ones Harry held.

The dark haired boy gave him a concerned look. "Are you going to be able to handle all that?"

"Of course sir. I'm just going to run them out to the car. I'll meet you at the bookstore."

"I could help you…"

"There's no need." Stan assured him. "I appreciate the offer."

"Okay." He said heading across the hall to the large bookstore he had noticed when they first entered. He had a fleeting thought that he might run into Hermione there making him snort.

He wondered around for a bit just looking before heading to the graphic novel section. Dudley had always had comics, one of the few things he'd ever read. Of course anytime Harry had tried to catch a glimpse of them Dudley had beat him up

He browsed through the selection, barely acknowledging Stan as he came back. He finally picked three, two of the amazing Spider-Man and one on a group called the Xmen. Stan appeared to approve of the selections.

They set off down the length of the mall. Harry was tempted by the electronic store but admitted to himself that he would be buying things just to out do Dudley. He really didn't have a desire to spend hours on a game system. And he could always come back and get one if he changed his mind.

After walking forever they finally came to the store Harry had been waiting for.

Wicked. He breathed gazing at the displays of colorful trainers. He tried on pair after pair before deciding on a black and red pair and a blur black and white pair.

He also grabbed a couple pair of athletic pants and some sports jerseys that that caught his attention. He didn't know anything about the teams but the shirts looked cool.

"I'm done." He declared as he paid. "And I'm starving."


	5. A new friend

I don't have anything to do with the Harry Potter Universe.

I'm going to try to post a chapter of each of my three stories in order before posting the next chapter. And while I have the the whole chapter or large parts of it written out I work on notebooks that I carry around with me everywhere. Actually typing and then editing and posting takes about 3 hours for each chapter and working 12 shifts I can only do it certain days. So the next chapter of Bucket list won't be until for about 2 weeks (I work the next 7 of 10 days.)

Please remember this story is set later than the books so its the summer of 2012.

* * *

Tuesday July 1, afternoon.

"Harry." A female voice called out to him as he walked out of the shoe store. He whirled around, heart in his throat, only to be confronted with a blond his age that looked vaguely familiar.

"Um hi." He said, letting go of the wand stashed in his pocket. "Do I know you?"

The girl giggled. "Maybe this will help." She said gathering her long hair into two pigtails.

"Hannah?" He asked in amazement naming the friendly hufflepuff in his year. "I hardly recognized you."

She blushed and fidgeted with the shorts she wore. "Me neither. I don't think I've ever seen you out of robes before "

Harry grinned pleased he'd changed into his new outfit. "So are you here shopping?"

"Wandering around mostly." She admitted in a low voice. "I came with some of my muggle friends but they ditched me."

"What?" Harry exclaimed shocked. The blond was one of the kindest people in his year "Why?"

She shrugged. "I guess we're just too different now. I thought changing my hair would make me seem more grown up to them but…."

Harry reached out and gently tugged on a strand of blond hair. "I like the pigtails." He said causing her to blush.

"So.. you were shopping?" She asked after several awkward moments.

"Yeah but thankfully I'm finally done." He said dramatically, causing her to giggle. "If I never go into another store it'll be okay with me." He paused as her face fell. "Actually I was thinking about getting something to eat. Do you want to come?"

Hannah looked unsure. "But aren't you here with your family? I saw you with someone, your uncle right?"

He laughed at the thought of Vernon being seen out in public with him. "Thankfully Uncle Vernon isn't here. Actually I don't live with them anymore." He explained.

The blue eyes widened. "Did something happen?"

"Er no. More like I made the decision to leave." He shrugged before wincing. "Its complicated and um sort of a secret until the legal stuff gets worked out."

"I won't tell." She hurried to assure him. "You look happy and that's all that counts right? So who was that man with you?"

"My driver Stan." Harry explained. "He prefers to stay on the sidelines. So….will you save me from having to eat alone?"

She giggled again. "Yes I'll eat with you." She answered leading him to the entrance of the food court.

"What do you want?" He asked impressed with the list of choices. "Or would you rather go to a real restaurant?"

"Nope." She announced dragging him to her favorite place. "Pizza, the greasier the better."

Harry stared up at the sign with longing. "I've never had pizza before."

Hannah gave him an astonished look. "You're not really a pureblood are you?" She continued at his confused look. "I thought they were the only one's who hadn't tried it, thought I'm slowly converting the ones in Hufflepuff."

Harry laughed. "Nope just very sheltered. I have a lot of things on my list to do now that I'm free."

"Okay then. Get two slices". She instructed, hiding her confusion. "You won't be able to stop at just one."

Harry shrugged and followed her lead, choosing two pieces of pepperoni and the pepsi she had chosen for herself before paying for both meals.

"What about your driver?" Hannah asked as they settled at a table.

Harry point towards a table in the corner where Stan was munching on a salad. "I don't think he likes pizza."

She giggled. "Well go on then, see if you do."

He took a bite, eyes closing as taste exploded in his mouth. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted. " He swore, greedily shoving another bite in his mouth.

Hannah nodded as she chewed on her own slice. "I really wish Hogwarts would offer it."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Yeah we can have pizza fridays or something. He took a sip of his drink before smiling widely and taking a large gulp. "Do you think if we changed out pumpkin juice for this stuff anyone would notice?"

"That would be a really great prank." She said trying to look thoughtful while laughing. "I don't know how we'd do it though."

"We have the whole summer to plan." He answered draining his cup. "Do you want another?"

"Sure thanks." She said with a slight blush.

"Great." He smiled back shyly. "I'll be right back."

"So." He started once he'd returned and polished off his first slice. "You're not a muggleborn are you?"

"No halfblood. My dad's a pureblood and my mum's a muggleborn. We don't live in a big magical community and tend to keep to ourselves mostly. Dad runs the family business. We're in agriculture."

"So you like grow stuff. Is that why you're so good in herbology?" He asked causing her to blush again.

"I'm not that good. Not like Neville Longbottom. But yeah I learned a lot at home. My moms a herbologist. She grows specific ingredients for potion makers. And my dad grows pumpkins. We have thousands upon thousands of acres of the things."

"Just pumpkins?" He asked astonished.

She laughed at the look on his face. "Do you know how much pumpkin juice Hogwarts alone goes through? Dads always adding more fields to keep up with the demand."

He shrugged self consciously. "I guess I never really thought of it before. How do you think about doing something like that? There's not a career option for growing pumpkins is there?" He teased.

She shook her head at him in amusement. "My great grandfather started the business and each generation added to it. Thankfully my younger brother is showing signs of being interested."

"So these friends of yours that ditched you, they're muggle?" Harry asked wanting to know more about her.

They are the children of some of our workers. I grew up with them and went to muggle primary with them. Mum's insistence. But then I left for Hogwarts and I can't tell them anything about it. They feel I'm stuck up and that I think I'm too good for them now ."

"Which is not true." He insisted. "So which do you like better, the magical or muggle?" He asked curious.

She thought about it. "The magical world is fascinating and learning spells is a lot of fun. But its also really small. The muggle world has so much more to offer." she raised her pizza slice causing him to smile. "But its really hard to live in both." she said her smile dropping as she thought about her friends. "What about you, you go back and forth?"

He thought about it for a minute. "Magic is very cool but the magical world is very...backwards. Some it doesn't make sense. So what's Hufflepuff like?" He asked wanting to get the sad look off her face. "Wheres the entrance?"

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "I'll only tell you if you tell me about Gryffindor. She bargained.

He shrugged. "Gryffindor is on the seventh floor behind the picture of the fat lady." He answered easily with a challenging look on his face.

Hufflepuff is next to the kitchens. There's a pile of large barrels against the wall there. They open up to a tunnel which leads up to our common room." She leaned and whispered conspiratorially causing him to laugh.

"I don't know whether that's strange or not." He said cocking his head as he thought about it.

Hannah shrugged. "Its kind of fun. It reminds me a lot of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. All of our doorways are round."

Harry gave her a confused look. "Hobbit?"

"Its a really good book about this race of people that live in holes in the ground, sort of. You should check it out. Anyway the tunnel leads up so our common room is actually on the main floor. Our windows look out on the gardens."

"That's pretty cool." Harry admitted. "We're up in the tower so we can see the forest and the Quidditch pitch."

"I'm sure you enjoy that." Hannah teased.

He grinned. "Its one of the good things. The seven flights of stairs not so much. But it's also loud and chaotic, and loud." He repeated laughing. "It drives Hermione crazy. We're always celebrating something or another."

"That sounds nice, sort of." She mused wistfully. "We have parties too but ours are more bonding groups were we paint nails or braid hair and the boys have exploding snap tournament."

"That sounds pretty cool." Harry pointed out. He couldn't imagine the seventh year gryffindor boys doing something as tame as playing exploding snap with the first years.

Hannah nodded. "Sometimes its nice, like when all the bad stuff was happening last year, but sometimes its annoying when you want to be alone and they won't let you. But I know that I'll always have sisters and brothers for life."

Harry snorted as he remembered the dragon his first year and the snake in second year. "Unlike Gryffindors who'll turn on you in a minute."

Hannah fidgeted at the look on his face. "Umm Sprout is really strict about grades."

"You mean she actually checks your grades in other classes?" He asked shocked. "Mcgonagall has never said anything and Nev and I are at the bottom of the class in potions. We hardly ever see her unless its in the great hall for meals."

Hannah frowned. "That's sad, and not right. Madam Sprout usually comes in once a night to see if anyone needs help."

"It's official." Harry declared. "Hufflepuff is the better house.".

"I'm not going to argue with that but Gryffindors have more fun and aren't looked down on." She pointed out trying to make him feel better.

"Some of them do." Harry muttered. "And we're expected to be brave and solve all the problems." He pointed out.

Hannah gave him a sympathetic look. "It's too bad they can't take all the good traits from the houses and make one super house. So do you have anything else planned for this afternoon.

"Nope." He shrugged giving her a curious look.

How do you feel about cinemas?" She asked a faint blush staining her cheeks.

"Err I've never actually been to one." He admitted.

Her corn flower blue eyes grew comically round. "Harry there's sheltered and then there's you." She cringed. "Not that I meant anything bad by that." She apologized.

He laughed. "Don't worry. I feel the same. I certainly haven't done much with my life to this point."

"No." She corrected softly. "I think it has more to do with what people have done to you than anything you have done."

"Thanks." He smiled shyly. "So what's this about a cinema?

"Oh we'll there happens to be one in this shopping center and they happen to be showing the best movie ever. And it starts soon. Do you want to go?" She asked quickly, ducking her head.

"Definitely." Harry answered as he led her over to Stan. He quickly explained where they were going.

"Very good sir." The older man answered, a faint grin on his face. "I'll be waiting here when the movie lets out."

"That's so weird." He confided to Hannah as they walked towards the theater. "He's always waiting. This morning I ate breakfast while he waited in the car."

"It makes me feel like I'm with royalty." She giggled.

"You're not far off." Harry replied loftily before laughing. "So what's this movie were seeing?"

"The Avengers." She answered promptly. "It's this group of heroes that come together to save the world from aliens."

Harry grinned. "Wicked."

She gave him a stern look when he tried to pay for the tickets. "You payed for lunch so I get to pay for this."

"Umm Hannah you remember that royalty thing? I'm pretty much as rich as one." He admitted self consciously.

She blinked at him before shaking her head. "I'm not hanging around with you because of your money Harry. But you can get the snacks if you want."

"Snacks?" He asked confused. "Didn't we just eat?"

She laughed at the look on his face. "It's part of the movie going experience.: She said getting in line at the concession stand. She pointed to a large tub of popcorn and two more pepsi's, grinning at the astonished look he gave her.

"What are these?" Harry asked softly once they'd settled in their seats and organized their snacks. He was playing with the glasses they been handed.

"They're 3D glasses." She informed him. "They allow objects from the screen to jump out at us. I've only been able to watch one movie with them so far but it was completely brilliant."

"What about my glasses?" He asked not wanting to be blind during the movie.

"They should fit over the top of them." She said fitting them to his face.

They fell silent as the lights dimmed and the upcoming attractions began playing. Harry perked up at the one for the Spider-Man movie. He made a mental note to come back and see it soon.

The two schoolmates were soon engrossed in the movie, laughing and gasping in surprise at the action. Hannah was helpful in giving him whispered explanations.

"That was fantastic." Harry enthused as they followed the crowd out.

Hannah nodded, a large smile on her face. "It was even better than I thought it would be."

"You said there were other movies?" The dark haired boy.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Iron man has two movies and I think a third is coming out next year."

"Wicked." Harry said having found the sarcastic tin man to be his favorite character.

"Hulk has one and Captain America and Thor each have one with sequels upcoming." She named them off. "They're all on DVDs. If you don't have a way to watch them you can come to my house this summer. We can have a marathon."

Harry felt something warm bloom inside. "Thanks Hannah, for everything. Today has been really great." He told her as they walked back to the food court.

"For me too Harry. You saved me." She said shyly. "I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't run into you."

"We should do this more often this summer yeah?" He asked fumbling in his pockets for his phone. "Umm I'm not really sure how to add numbers to this thing."

My mum has a similar one." She offered taking the phone and showing him how to reach the contacts. "This is my home number. Hey mum." She greeted the blonde woman that had walked up to them distractedly. "Do you have a pen?"

The bemused woman dug a pen out of her purse, watching as her daughter scribbled the strange boys number on her hand. " Who is this sweetie?"

"Mum this is Harry Potter. Harry this is my mum."

"Nice to meet you Mrs Abbott." Harry said, smiling up at her shyly.

The woman masked her surprise. "Nice to meet you too Harry. I don't think I've seen Hannah this happy in a while."

"Mum." The girl moaned blushing a bright red.

Do you need a ride home Harry. Her mother asked chuckling.

"No ma'am. I have a ride." He said waving to where Stan was

seated at a table.

"Bye Harry. I'll call you soon." Hannah called as they left.

Did you enjoy the movie? Stan asked a few minutes later as they drove back to the hotel.

Harry nodded. "It was brilliant." He yawned. "I'm beat though." He yawned again. "A lot of new experiences today. That's good. Just what I wanted for this summer."

* * *

No hookups in this stories. Just a lot of friendships!


	6. Hotel findings

I don't own anything regarding Harry Potter so it's no use asking.

Happy reading.

* * *

Wednesday July 2nd.

Harry woke up late after the exhausting excitement of the day before. He was a bit surprised when he noted the time, having fallen into bed quite early the night before. He really hadn't done anything strenuous the day before but he supposed the mental exhaustion of making all those choices had worn him out.

His stomach grumbled causing him to roll out of bed and stumble into the other room where Stan and the bellman had set down the numerous bags. He had a vague memory of ordering some muffins yesterday and began pawing through the packages until he found the container he was looking for. Grinning in satisfaction he devoured the fragrant treat, washing it down with a bottle of water the hotel provided.

He stretched as he eyed the bags strewed around. He could give the Dursleys credit for one thing, he disliked untidiness of any sort. That and the thought of his new clothing being ruined propelled him to grab what bags he could and head into the bedroom. Three trips later he finally had all the bags where he wanted them.

As he filled the drawers with carefully folded clothes he thought of the day before. It had been a real eye opener, from being driven around like royalty to all the choices he'd been confronted with at the shopping center. Really if it hadn't been for the salesman he would probably have ended up with a couple pairs of jeans that would have been too big and a couple of tee shirts. Instead he actually had a complete wardrobe like any other kid his age.

And then there was Hannah. He had been pleasantly surprised at how friendly the girl had been. At Hogwarts she was quiet and shy around the other houses. And then there had been Justin and the whole Heir of Slytherin thing. Even if she had been defending him she'd still seemed pretty scared.

But yesterday she'd had no problem talking to him and they'd had a lot of fun. And she even wanted to meet up with him again. He smiled pleased that he'd have someone to hang out with during the holidays. He had Ron and Hermione sure, but Ron would throw a fit about his money and Hermione would nag him the entire time about telling Dumbledore. It was nice have a friend that liked him for him.

He grinned widely as he came upon the comics he'd bought. He had a thought that he might take one out to the terraced garden and read in the sun. He snorted out a laugh as he wondered if he'd be tempted to start weeding. Habits died hard after all.

Once finished putting away his belongings he gathered up the tags and empty bags and disposed of them before pondering what to wear. He'd never really had to think about it before. Thinking of his plans to sit in the sun he chose a pair of black shorts with a red and white teeshirt with his black trainers.

It was almost noon by the time he gathered his comic and headed downstairs, waving hi to his favorite housekeeper as he passed. Reaching the garden terrance he scouted around until he found a lounge tucked into the corner.

From page one of the comic he was fascinated with the flow of the story, the occupying pictures and the adventure he was reading. He was able to identify with the orphaned Peter Parker and figured him finding out about magic was close to the superhero being bitten by the spider. They had even had similar adventures saving the world. Harry had fought a giant spider and spiderman had a genetically engineered lizard.

He absentmindedly ordered a sandwich and some crisps when one of the wait staff came by, too absorbed in the story to taste the food as he ate. Spiderman was trying desperately to stop the speeding train and save all the passengers when Harry became aware of someone clearing their throat.

He looked up, blinking groggily at the brown haired teen standing over him. "Katie?" He asked in shock, naming his fellow Quidditch player.

"Hiya Harry." She said plopping down on the end of his lounge. "I came over to clean up your dishes and found my favorite seeker instead."

He noticed she was wearing a hotel uniform. "You work here?" He asked bewildered.

She nodded in amusement. "My mum's the manager here. I get to work a couple times a week for a little bit of spending money." She explained. "What about you?" She asked giving him a quizzical look.

"Oh um well I'm staying here for the summer." He answered softly, a sheepish look crossing his face.

"That's cool." She shrugged burying her questions to bombard her mother with later. She grinned broadly. "You can come with me to Oliver's. We play quidditch most Wednesdays at his house. He had a family thing today but I'm definitely going next week."

Harry's eyes were shining. "That would be great. Are you sure he won't mind?"

"Mind? Harry he'll be ecstatic." She glanced over her shoulder. "Crap I need to get back to work. Listen if you can hang out here for another hour I get off at three. I'll show you around the neighborhood."

"That'll be great, thanks." He stared after her in amazement. How weird was it that for once he wasn't locked up on privet Drive and he was finding people left and right that wanted to spend time with him.

He dived back into his comic, finishing the exciting story just as Katie came back. "You know." She said as she flopped down on the lounge with him. "I never figured you for a comic guy."

"This is the first one I've ever read but I really like it." He admitted with a faint blush.

She shrugged. "It must be a boy thing, my brother has a ton of them. Course my mum has a hard time getting me to read anything, I much prefer to be active."

Harry grinned at her. "I read a lot before Hogwarts, mostly because my cousin wouldn't and it was a way to get him to leave me alone. Once in the magical world there was too much to see to stuff my face in a book, even my school books."

She laughed. "Well then my resident bookworm, the library is closed for now and its time to do a little exploring." She said pulling him to his feet.

He rolled his eyes at his teammate. "Okay okay. Just let me run this up to my room. I don't want to lose it."

"No need." She answered as she led him into the lobby and towards the front desk. "First lesson in hotel living. You can stash anything at the front desk. Just get back from shopping and want to head to the restaurant without going all the way up stairs? Just come here."

Harry was skeptical until she introduced him to the two front desk workers who were very happy to help him in any way.

"So you said your mum works here?" He asked as he followed her out the front doors. "Is she a muggle?"

"Nope. She's the liaison between the muggle and magical world. Whenever any foreign magicals come to England they stay here, especially the dignitaries."

Harry frowned at her in confusion. "What about the Leaky Cauldron?"

She laughed. "The Cauldron's great but can you honestly see the french equivalent of Malfoy staying there?"

Harry snorted out a laugh. "Defiantly not. So this hotel is magical?"

"In a sense, when a reservation is made mum wards the room so no spells go through the walls and only certain staff clean their rooms and stuff. Mum takes care of all their needs."

Harry was dutifully impressed. "You know I've probably learned more about how the actual wizarding world works in the last two days than I have in two years."

She beamed at him. "Glad I could help." She gestured towards the structure in front of them. "The marble arch is one of the main entrances to Hyde Park. It also has an underground station if you need to go anywhere else in this city." She looked at him in concern. "The tube's the easiest way to get around but I don't know if I would want you using it alone. It's pretty straight forward but you could still get lost."

Harry nodded. "Hagrid and I used it when he took me to Diagon the first time. Of course he had no idea how to use it so I had to figure everything out. Took me a bit."

She paused to give him a strange look. "Why would Hagrid take you on the underground in the first place?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. At the time I just thought it was normal but yeah looking back its pretty obvious that he'd never used it before."

"Hmm well maybe he just didn't want to introduce you to magical transportation too soon. The knight bus can be a bit much. Anyway try not to ride the tube alone if you can. It's safe enough but kids riding alone always garner a bit of attention." She continued.

Harry nodded in understanding. "I think I'll be okay. Stan's going to drive me where ever I want." He said explaining about the driver his solicitor had obtained for him.

"That's brilliant Harry. You'll be able to go anywhere." She said as she led him into the park.

"Yeah except I'm not really sure where to go." He admitted looking lost. "I've never had a chance to before and I don't know where to start."

"Well if you want we could tour London proper this Saturday. I'll show you the highlights and some of the best places to go for shopping and eating." She offered.

"That would be brilliant. But no shopping please. I don't think I could do that again." Her look prompted him to explain the day before.

"You prat, you've already seen the Avengers!" She exclaimed. "I'm going friday with my younger brother."

"It was really good." Harry agreed. "I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. "

"Definitely need to do that." She agreed. "Thor is the best." She had a dreamy look on her face that caused Harry to gag slightly. "You can get them on the On Demand feature on the Tv in your room, except maybe the Hulk, but we have that on DVD that you can borrow."

"That would be great thanks." He said his eyes lightening up.

Katie noticed where they were and pointed out the section of the lake they were in front of. "This is a designated swimming area. I'm usually roped into bringing my little brother once a week during the summer. You could come with us."

Harry grimaced. "Maybe. I'm not really that good of a swimmer but I want to go to the beach so it'd probably be a good idea to get some practice in."

She gave him a mock stern look. "Make sure you don't come alone if that's the case. What beach are you going to?"

He shrugged. "I don't know yet. I've never seen the beach and I really want to see the ocean."

"Hmm well I would recommend Woolacombe Beach. We try to get there every summer. It has pretty good surfing and you can even windsurf."

Harry smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks Katie. You know if I hadn't run into you today I would have probably spent the rest of the week sitting in the hotel reading."

"Well then I'm very happy I saved you from that fate." She laughed and steered him down the street. "Now the main purpose of this little show and tell is the food. The hotel restaurants are pretty good but its going to get old eating the same thing all the time."

Harry shrugged not wanting to tell her he was happy just to be eating.

She continued on without noticing. "The thing to do is to get take out menu's from all the local restaurants so that way if you're hungry for something in particular all you have to do is call them up."

Harry followed her up and down the street bemusedly as she popped in and out of the various establishments, handing him the brightly colored menu's.

"This is brilliant, thanks Katie." he said pursuing them as they entered the hotel. "I'm really interested in trying different foods now that I get the chance."

"You'll have to tell me which ones you like best. Come meet my mum." She said pulling him towards an office off the side of the lobby. "Mum this is Harry. Harry this is my mum."

"Nice to meet you ma'am." Harry said politely, giving a shy smile to the elegant brown haired woman coming around the desk.

She smiled back. "Hello Mr. Potter. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you checked in."

"I was so out of it by the time I got here I probably wouldn't have remembered." He admitted.

"Well I'm sure Katie has told you but I'm here for all your magical needs. I have a floo here in the office that you can use at any time." She pointed to the large fireplace. "I'm also here to help you in any way. If someone's bothering you or if you feel like someone's following you let me know immediately."

Yes ma'am." He answered dutifully.

"Good. Now your rooms are warded against magic but you still have the trace on your wand so no underage usage please. Here is my number or the front desk can get ahold of me at any time." She smiled at him warmly. "Bernard told me you plan to travel this summer. If you're going to be gone more than two days leave me a message if you could so I can take care of housekeeping."

"Sure no problem." He said agreeably, not bothered by the thought of someone checking up on him.

"Okay, Katie dinner's in an hour." She reminded her daughter.

"Sure mum, I'm just going to show Harry how to work the On demand feature then I'll be back down. " She called as they headed to the front desk to pick up Harry's comic.

"Good afternoon Mr. Potter. " The clerk said as she handed over the book. "You have a message from a Mr. Lewis."

"Oh umm thanks." He said taking the note and scanning it quickly.

"Everything okay Harry?" Katie asked as they waited for the elevators.

"Yeah my solicitor wants to meet tomorrow, which is good. I have some questions for him." He answered absently.

He paid close attention as she showed him how to work the TV, happily picking the first Ironman movie to watch that night.

"So here's my home number. I'll see you saturday morning right?" She called as she left. Harry nodded as he closed the door behind her grinning at his good fortune.


	7. Answers

Normal disclaimers apply. Happy reading.

* * *

Thursday, July 3rd

"Where to this morning Harry?" Stan greeted the boy as he walked out of the hotel.

Harry shrugged before sliding through the open door. "Mr. Lewis wants to see me. I'm not sure where his office is though."

"Not a problem." The driver assured him, starting the car and pulling into traffic. "I've been there plenty of times."

"Do you know what he wants to talk to me about?" The boy asked somewhat nervously. He had the thought as he was getting ready this morning that the solicitor wanted to end his summer plans.

"I'm sure it's nothing bad." Stan assured him, glancing at him through the rear view mirror. "Maybe he just wants to get to know you. He was a good friend of your family."

Harry frowned, reminded of the questions he wanted to ask the solicitor. He remained quiet the rest of the ride, pensive eyes gazing blankly at the passing scenery.

"Here we are young sir." Stan announced as they pulled in front of a tall office building. "Lewis is on the fourth floor directly across from the elevators. Do you want me to come with you?"

Harry mutely shook his head as he exited the car and stepped into the lobby. He spotted a coffee shop to one side and a restaurant in the front right corner. He was relieved to spot the double bank of elevators at the opposite end.

On the fourth floor he headed for the first office door he saw. "Can I help you…" the receptionist started only to be cut off as Lewis stepped out of an office behind her.

"It's okay Jane." He told her before smiling at the nervous boy. "Hello Harry. Thank you for meeting me today. Come on back so we can talk."

"It was no problem." Harry answered, his eyes taking in the dark wood and rich colors. He took the indicated seat in front of the large expanse of desk.

"How are things going?" Lewis asked taking the adjoining seat instead of the one behind the desk. "Have you settled in? I see you've been shopping."

Harry looked down at the black trousers and green dress shirt he'd chosen for the meeting. "Um yeah. My old clothes made me stand out too much."

"And your apartment? It's sufficient?" The older man pressed wanting to make sure the boy was okay and hoping to make him more comfortable in the current setting.

"It's brilliant." Harry murmured biting his lip. "Um I'm sorry. This might seem rude but who are you? Why are you helping me?" He blushed and squirmed in his chair. "I should have asked the other day."

"That's perfectly okay." Lewis assured him. "Finding out you're the richest wizard on the continent is a lot to take in."

Harry grimaced. "Still don't want to think about that."

The solicitor gave a small laugh. "Well as you know I am Bernard Lewis. I actually grew up with your grandfather Potter and was like an uncle as well as a solicitor to you father." He explained.

The green eyes clouded with distrust. "Okay what did you do as his solicitor?"

The older man gave him an approving look as he leaned back in his chair. "I did what was necessary to protect him and his family, his standing, and his money from a legal standpoint."

"And this firm has been working for my family for generations?" Harry confirmed. "Then why haven't you protected me legally until now" He finished hotly.

Lewis nodded. "I've been waiting for this. And let me just say you have your father's wit and your grandfather's temper." He held up a hand before the boy could retort. "And I'm not ducking your question. Staying away from you has been one of the hardest things I've had to do. Unfortunately the law worked against me in this instance. You're a minor and your legal guardians make all the decisions for you. The week after you were placed with your aunt the firm received a notice that our services would be limited to what Gringotts needed in regards to your holdings. We were to have no contact with you. In fact the only way I was able to see on sunday was because you indicated you were in danger."

Harry was silent for a moment as he processed the speech. "Who wrote that letter?" He exclaimed finally, eyes flashing.

"The Dursleys signed it." Lewis told him. "They are the only ones legally able to stop contact between us."

Harry was already shaking his head. "It wasn't them." He denied. 'If they knew how rich I was they would have tried to take it all. Plus they would have treated me better if they thought a solicitor might be checking up on them."

Lewis made a note, grimacing at the small reference of maltreatment. "I will certainly look into it. If someone intentionally tried to keep you from having legal representation its certainly a cause for concern."

"Why did I go to the Dursleys in the first place?" Harry asked. a slight whine to his voice. "Surely there was someone in the magical world that could have taken me?"

"There were plenty that would have taken you, myself included." Lewis said , a fond look crossing his face. "Its James' fault really. The number of times I told him to make a will but he'd just laugh and tell me everything was going to you as the last Potter heir anyway. He would tell me there was no need to add all the legal mumbo jumbo. But then the worst happened, your parents were dead and both your godparents incapacitated. James was the last of his family so you automatically went to Lily's closest relative. My hands were tied."

"And there was nothing you could do?" Harry asked forlornly.

"Not then no, but now we have some options." He sighed when the kid's eyes lit up. "Harry in no way do I want to ruin your summer but in my haste to get you safe and settled the other night I skirted around some laws."

Harry gave him a wary look. "It doesn't matter anymore does it? I'm all settled in at the hotel and I'll go back to Hogwarts in September. There's no reason to have to see the Dursleys again."

"That would be ideal. My worry is that they either call you home or have you declared a runaway and have the Garda after you." The older man explained.

"They wouldn't make me come back." Harry protested. "They don't care about where I am. I told my uncle I had other arrangements and he didn't even ask where."

Lewis's lips thinned. "As despicable as that is it works out in our favor. But should someone, say the ministry, decide that you would be better with your relatives they could force the issue. Especially if your relatives don't know your net worth and are told just how rich your are."

"But I have you now, right?" Harry asked. He searched the other man's face. "You won't let them take me back?"

Lewis sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You remember my telling you that I wasn't allowed to see you and have, but on a technicality? The problem is I have to prove my claim is accurate. Really we should have done this on Monday and I'm breaking the law right now by not returning you to your home."

"So what do we need to do to prove it and make it official?" Harry demanded.

"Actually you've already helped." The solicitor relaxed slightly and gave a brief smile. "If the Dursleys really didn't sign that notice it will merely be a matter of having them sign a form granting me access to you and another granting you live to live in London under our care."

Harry frowned as he tried to figure out the problem. "But that's good right?"

"For now." Lewis agreed. "If I can get them to agree."

"Offer them money." The preteen advised, a trace of bitterness in his voice. "Between that and the fact that I won't be coming back they'll be ecstatic."

"I'll do whatever it takes to get them to sign. But I'm afraid its only a short term solution. They could change their mind at any time." The solicitor explained smiling at the face the boy made. "In order to prevent that I need evidence that they have neglected you and or abused you."

"I can tell you all kinds of stuff." Harry offered.

Lewis smiled sadly. "I'm sure you can. Unfortunately we'll need more than just your word."

Harry frowned suspiciously. "How are you going to get that?"

"If you're willing we will start with a physical exam. A lot of times that proves to be all that's needed. I can already tell just from looking at you that you aren't as well nourished as you should be."

"Then I'll be able to stay at the hotel every summer?" Harry asked flushing slightly at the comment.

"Not quite." One greying eyebrow rose in amusement. "Then the ministry gets involved and they find you a new family. However this time the firm will be heavily involved and they can't put you anywhere you don't want to go."

Harry made a face. "I'd rather not go anywhere."

"There is another option." Lewis offered. "Once the forms are signed we gather the evidence and prepare our case but then we sit on it until someone attempts to force you back to the Dursleys. If we can avoid that happening until next summer or even the summer after that then we can push for emancipation. The older you are the better our chances, and the more summers you live on your own successfully will only strengthen our case."

"So I keep my head down and avoid the ministry and I should be okay?" The boy asked looking relieved.

"In theory." Lewis agreed. "There are some concerns. Like who actually wrote that note and why they would want to keep me from you."

Harry snorted. "I would say some death eater but none of them is supposed to know where I was."

Lewis's eyes widened in realization. "Thank you Harry for reminding me of that. The number of people who knew you were with Petunia were very small. It took several long arguments for me to get that information. This narrows things down significantly." He grimaced. "Now I have one more serious thing to discuss and then we'll go down to lunch if that's okay."

Harry nodded. "What else do you need to know?"

"Stoneclaw contacted me because of a comment you made. You indicated that you had almost died?"

The dark haired boy squirmed under the stern gaze. "I rescued Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets and umm killed the Basisilk." He paused for a moment. "Oh and before that Ron and I almost got eaten by Aragog." He shrugged at the older man's look of shock.

"Merlin you're more like James than I thought." Lewis groaned as he rubbed a temple. "I'm almost afraid to ask but what is Aragog?"

"A really really big spider." He answered grinning at the the hiss of exasperation.

"So while at school you nearly got eaten by an acromantula and fought a basilisk." Lewis summed up. He swallowed his anger knowing the boy was not ready to hear a tirade against Hogwarts. He would take his time, do some investigation and maybe look into some other magical schools. "Sounds like quite an adventure. Are you ready for lunch?"

"Sure." Harry said relieved that the conversation was at an end. He followed the man out of the office and to the elevator. "Would you tell me some stories about my grandfather?"

Lewis waited until they were seated at the downstairs restaurant and had ordered before launching into his tale. "Charlus and I were of age and as our fathers had a lot of business to conduct we were often pushed into spending time together." He grinned fondly in remembrance. 'I remember when James was born. Charlus was scared to death and completely unreasonable. He actually called me at home the minute the tot was born and mind you, James was born at one am. And it wasn't to celebrate! He wanted me to redo his whole will, at that very minute. Wouldn't listen to reason. And technically I was still in law school and wasn't qualified to do the work. But I went in and scribbled a bunch of gibberish down for him. He called me days laughing and apologizing. Said he was going to have the papers framed."

Harry was holding his sides laughing. "What about my dad? Did he do anything crazy when I was born?"

Well now James wasn't quite as sleep deprived since you were born in the middle of the day. He did send balloons over announcing the event. Thankfully not singing ones, but enough to fill up the entire floor of my office!"

"Now your grandfather, Charlus was pleased as punch about your birth, went to Gringotts and made a big fuss about you being named heir. Actually got escorted out of the bank and I had to go in and smooth things out so he'd be allowed back."

Harry smiled wistfully wishing the man were still alive. "What happened to him?" He asked. "He must have died shortly after that."

Lewis smiled sadly. "Ah well that's a story for another time I'm afraid. It's a bit of a tale and I have an appointment shortly. Next time we meet I'll be sure to bring pictures."

"That would be brilliant thanks."

* * *

Later that night Harry lounged in front of Tv gazing at the numerous travel brochures Lewis had helped him pick out from the travel agency on the second floor. The solicitor had asked him his plans and when he'd admitted he was unsure about where to go he'd taken him to the agency. He grinned as he shifted through the ones for Italy, Greece, and Spain. He'd found one for the beach Katie had recommended but had been drawn to the vivid blue of the Caribbean brochures.

He had to wait until next week before he left the city though. Katie was taking him to tour the city on Saturday. Hannah had called asking to have lunch on Sunday. The healer appointment was on Monday and Lewis had recommended an eye healer that he was seeing on Tuesday. Then quidditch on Wednesday with Katie. He grinned pleased. Most summers were spent locked up and bored out of his mind. Now he had so many options he almost didn't have time for everything.


End file.
